"People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."
- Soren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Random stuff...trying to post some more

Okay, I'm sorry, but this AP story is just funny. "ALBION, N.Y. -- When Diane Viza got into an argument with her son over whether she was sober, she drove to the local police station asked to take a sobriety test. That turned out to be a bad idea. " Yes, you can see where this is going. She failed the test and got a DUI. No, drunk driving isn't funny, but this is.

This story proves you shouldn't threaten to audit someone if you aren't actually an auditor. "He pulled out an official-looking but phony IRS business card that he had made after downloading the agency's logo from the Internet. It identified him as a senior auditor. Then he asked pointedly if the officers had been audited lately, and insinuated that he would audit them if they cited him. " Also, I know a thing or two about government work, and even if you have the ability to audit someone, most people wouldn't risk losing the decent pay and pleasant working conditions that they would lose if found out simply to avoid a $600 fine.

I think this story is ironic in light of this quote: "When there are lines to be drawn, we must and will be the ones to do it," he said. "Not outside actors. Not politicians, not pressure groups, not the media. Ours is and must remain a system of self-government."

Why do I find that funny? Let's say this quote wasn't talking about universities and was referring to the United States of America not allowing foreign governments, the U.N., and the media to dictate how they behave. Wait, that was/is the position of many in the Bush administration and elsewhere and it is exactly that position that gets so much derision by people like the professors at Columbia who are being accused of intimidating Jewish students who disagree with the Pro-Palestinian professors. Just a random thought.

Finally, for those who read Krugman's piece on the $600 million dollar figure with regards to Social Security and Lieberman, I feel duty bound to point out Lieberman apparently wrote a letter to the editor taking Krugman to task on his allegations. Here is the link. If you scroll down a bit further you can read Krugman's article that he is responding to. I might also add, that Krugman is clearly wrong on this count, though Lieberman, and the Bush administration are probably overstating the estimate as well. The 600 billion figure is a nominal figure, it is not necessarily an increase in real terms. Andrew over at Voxbaby gives a more thorough explanation of the distinction and the numbers here.

Did I say finally? Okay, one last one. Over at Cafe Hayek there is this post on the Georgetown University hunger strike and the question, why is the employer the person who is expected to be charitable and pay above market wages rather than the church or the students or just about anyone else to just give them the money outright? As always, he's more literate than me so read his post not mine.